Overvoltage and/or overcurrent processes, e.g. electrostatic discharge events (ESD events), are apt to cause severe damage in electronic equipment, e.g. an IC, arranged downstream a signal or power path, it being possible for the damage even to lead to complete failure of the respective equipment.
ESD protections are known from the prior art, for example as an IC with diode-connected transistor for reducing ESD damage disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,901, as a semiconductor device disclosed in WO 01/20682 A1, as a bonding pad-oriented all-mode ESD protection structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,931 B1, as an ESD resistant device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,984 B2, or as ground ring/spark gap ESD protection of tab circuits disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,472.